Directors

Harsha Kumara Navaratne

Mr. Navaratne is the founding Chairperson of Sewa Finance and Sewalanka a Foundation. He studied community development at St. Xavier University in the Philippines and is the recipient of two honorary doctorate degrees. He served for 21 years as Field Director and Vice President in the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement. After leaving Sarvodaya, Mr. Navaratne was a Presidential Advisor to late President Premadasa's Janasaviya Poverty Alleviation Program and his 15,000 Village Development Program. Mr. Navaratne is also an award-winning film maker.

Mahinda de Silva

Mr. de Silva holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters in Business Administration.  He has worked in the development field for more 30 years, and has served as a Senior Programme Consultant for Sewalanka since 1994. Mr. de Silva has played a major role in developing Sewalanka’s social development strategy and its sustainable livelihood and enterprise development services.

K.A. Wijesekera

Mr. Wijesekera brings decades of legal and rural banking experience to Sewa Finance.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Bachelor of Laws degree, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers.  He is also an Attorney-at-Law, Notary Public, and Justice of the Peace.  Mr. Wijesekera previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of People’s Bank, Sri Lanka’s leading financial service provider to the rural sector, and is currently the Managing Director of Sea View Financial Services.

Kaushalya Navaratne

Ms. Navaratne holds a Bachelor of Arts from India and a Masters in Sustainable International Development from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. She is a Program Director for Sewalanka Foundation and has served on the Board of Directors since 2003. Ms. Navaratne also sits on the Sewa Finance Social Performance Committee and specializes in rural poverty reduction, gender dynamics, and psychosocial well-being.

Professor A Navaratnaraja

Professor Navaratnaraja has worked in the development field for more than 30 years. He was head of the department of Animal Science at the University of Jaffna for 17 years and was also a visiting fellow at JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency). He has worked extensively on government livestock projects in the Eastern Region. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Palmyrah Development Board of Sri Lanka and is a member of the Veterinary Council of Sri Lanka.

Annet P Royce

Annet holds a BA in Linguistics, English Literature and Management from the University of Jaffna and has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Development Studies from the University of Colombo. She has also worked extensively in other countries in the region in the fields of microfinance, rural development, leadership, agriculture and gender. She currently works with Sewalanka in Vavuniya as deputy director of special projects.

Sampath Wijesinghe

Mr Wijesinghe holds a BSc in Business Administration and is a Finalist of the Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka. He worked  for 4 years as an accountant and auditor with Ranwatta and Co, and then moved to become General Manager  and Group Accountant for Wijeya Lak Apparels, a large export garment manufacturer. He joined Sewalanka  Foundation in 2006 as Finance Director and has recently joined the Sewa Finance board.

T Thamilalagan

Mr Thamilalagan holds a BA in Environmental Studies from a UK University, specializing in water pollution. Since returning to Sri Lanka he has become a Community Development Leader. He is currently the Northern Regional Director for the Sewalanka Foundation.